Bless those who persecute you

Nagmeh Abedini’s husband, Pastor Saeed Abedini, has been imprisoned for his Christian faith in Iran for more than two years. Despite her frustration with the U.S. government’s handling of her husband’s case, Abedini was able to tell President Barack Obama in a recent meeting with him that she loved him and was praying for him. This week, John Stonestreet of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview talked with me about Nagmeh Abedini’s grace for politicians, even when she disagrees with them.

“She’s never failed to respect the office, and she’s never failed to respect the individuals as they’re made in the image and likeness of God,” Stonestreet said. “I think it is a good model for all of us to—in the midst of deep political divisions and deep disagreements, even frustrations—to remember what we know to be true about every single person.”

And Christians will have plenty of opportunities to do so, Stonestreet said, considering 2014 was one of the worst years in history for Christian persecution: “This is the worst time for many of our brothers and sisters around the world to be identified as Christians in public.”

We also talked about a Christian who tried to make a public point about religious liberty recently. Bill Jack, a founder of Worldview Academy, has filed a discrimination complaint against a Denver baker who would not make cakes with scriptural truths about sin and homosexuality printed on them. Media coverage of the issue distorted Jack’s position, making him out to be an extremist like the late Fred Phelps, leader of the Westboro Baptist Church.

“Knowing this guy, he was nowhere in this ballpark. He was much more thoughtful than that,” Stonestreet said.

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